Inversion

INVERSION EXERCISES
Inversion Exercises by Mª Luisa de Dios Perrino is licensed under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No comercial-Compartir bajo la misma licencia 2.5 España License.

What’s the difference in emphasis between these sentences?
It occurred to me later that I had made a big mistake.
Not until then did it occur to me that I had made a big mistake.
In the first sentence the emphasis is on the fact that a mistake had been made. The second sentence emphasises the time, the delay in realising that s/he had made a mistake
So lonely did he feel that he went round to see his ex-wife for a chat.
He felt so lonely that he went round to see his ex-wife for a chat.
In the first case there is emphasis on the depth of the loneliness, whereas in the second in what he did (visit his exwife), unless we stress other parts of the sentence, for example “SO LONELY.”
At the top of the hill stood a solitary pine tree
A solitary pine tree stood at the top of the hill.
In the first case there is suspense, what is there at the top? In the second sentence there is no special emphasis on any of the two places, the tree and the hill are both important.
Rewrite the following sentences
He was working hard all day and all night as well.
Not only……………………………………………
was he working hard all day, but all night as well (but also all night)
He had never stayed in such a dreadful hotel.
Never
(before) had he stayed in such a dreadful hotel
She didn’t spill a drop.
Not……………………………………………
a drop did she spill
They don’t spend much money on entertainment.
Rarely
do they spend much/any money on entertainment
We had only just gone out when it started to rain.
No sooner
Had we gone out than it started to rain
They discovered a cure for the disease by trial and error.
Only
By trial and error did they discover a cure for the disease
They didn’t understand what the fuss was about until they saw the evidence for themselves.
Only when…


No sooner had he bought the car than it broke down.
Scarcely…
they saw the evidence did they understand what the fuss was about
Had he bought the car when it broke down
I didn’t leave the office at any time.
At…


I wasn’t able to find a room for the night in the entire town.
Nowhere
no time did I leave the office
In the entire town was I able to find a room for the night